A Knights Tale
What is the genre of the text (e.g., poetry, essay, novel, etc)? How does that genre affect the meaning?
What are the major themes and meanings of the work as a whole? How does this passage contribute to them? Does it complicate or refine those themes and meanings? How?
(You need to be aware of the themes of the work as a whole, but remember that this assignment is focused on a particular passage.
Do not distract yourself by analyzing the overall theme at the expense of the particular aspect of the theme which appears in your chosen passage.)
What does the passage tell us about the characters involved? If applicable, which characters are speaking?
What is the significance of this particular passage?
Does the passage contain allusions to other texts? How do those allusions contribute to our reading of the passage? Does it contain assumptions which influence our understanding of the themes and meaning of the larger work?